Connect! Sunday Reflection

on September 25, 2020

What does it mean to be pro-life? It means that every human being is precious and that the measure of the moral goodness of our society is whether those lives — without qualification — are welcomed and given an opportunity to flourish.

on September 18, 2020

While many of us have learned to maintain our composure, we know that deep within, there flows a river of molten negativity that monastic spirituality calls grumbling.

on September 11, 2020

God is speaking directly to our hearts to call on Him in our disrupted plans and to seek Him not as some far-off deity, but as the God who is near and who is deeply invested in our lives.

on September 4, 2020

Most people have faced situations where they struggle to let go of bitterness, anger, or resentment in their lives. Feeling if they forgive this person, then there are no consequences; they let this person “off the hook.” Not so, says the Lord.

on August 28, 2020

Jesus is all about relationships. It’s a priority to do all in our power to restore balance and bring reconciliation to places of discord. These are all worthy ideals to pursue. They also sound great on paper but are extremely difficult to achieve.

on August 21, 2020

As disciples we are called to foster our relationship with Jesus, to know him in a personal way. And, as with any important relationship in our lives, our relationship with Jesus changes us, helps us to grow more into the woman or man that God wants us to be.

on August 14, 2020

We know well what the world says about Jesus. But, the Gospel turns the question on us. Who do I say Jesus is? Do we pick and choose the teachings of Jesus which we agree with and ignore the rest; or do we believe that every word Jesus speaks is THE word of God?

on August 7, 2020

Our familiarity with prayers isn’t always accompanied by a sincerity in our prayer. We rattle off words while our minds are onto the next task. Our prayer life is fragmented because our need for help has been disconnected from our belief in Jesus’ mission.

on July 31, 2020

God is calling to us today, like Peter. The winds and waves may be in the form of politics, riots, and disease, the big and loud things seeking to get our attention. God is speaking in a whisper, still inviting each one of us to recognize Him amidst the trials and have just a tiny bit of faith to come to Him.

on July 24, 2020

When we seek what Jesus is offering, we are often filled with more than we need, even finding we now have something to distribute to others. Do you trust Jesus to take your meager offerings and multiple them into blessings to fill you and to share with others?

on July 17, 2020

Things all too easily become more significant than people, individuals can all too easily become objects to use and manipulate, and our agendas become more essential than God’s. Only the wisdom that comes from God can bring light to all of our darkness.

on July 10, 2020

Jesus tells the story of a farmer whose crop of wheat is attacked by an enemy who sows the seeds of weeds along with the grains of wheat. Once the violent act was done, there was no going back. The wheat and weeds had to be allowed to grow together.

on July 2, 2020

Just as a seed, once it is planted, has a power within it that drives it to become the tree it is meant to be, so God's kingdom, once planted in our world and in our souls by Jesus himself, takes root and spreads its branches slowly but surely throughout all of human history.

on June 26, 2020

A myriad of scenarios can explain the weight that we hold deep within. The older we get it seems as though the more baggage we tend to collect. Our baggage has become our comfort and definition. We don’t experience what Jesus promised because we fear, or we doubt. But Jesus is patient as he is persistent.

on June 19, 2020

God is calling us to serve and love Him above all else. God speaks to us not as an optional side character in our stories, but as the passionate lover determined to make sure we know that the way to true happiness and freedom can only come from Him. The only way our stories will make sense is in light of the greater story of God’s plan of salvation for humanity.

on June 12, 2020

Do we deny Jesus when we are uncomfortable, perhaps holding back who we are, particularly with family, friends, or co-workers? Does the warning Jesus speaks in Matthew’s Gospel hold no significance upon our actions?

on June 5, 2020

Nothing can stop grace. But separation cannot be allowed to last forever. We must connect again. We need to embrace the Eucharistic presence of God and our community of faith again in order to fully be who we are called to be.

on May 29, 2020

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us that the God whom we adore is “one God in the Trinity” and “Trinity in unity” (from The Athanasian Creed), inviting us to consider that all of our relationships are reflections of that unique and dynamic communion that exists within God — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

on May 22, 2020

This Pentecost is much like the first one. It finds us behind closed doors, in fervent prayer, longing for our Lord. The Holy Spirit leads us out into a world that has changed dramatically over the past year. However, the message is the same. God has won the victory in Jesus Christ.

on May 15, 2020

I had thought it odd for the longest while that Jesus would say that he was going to go away. He had risen from the dead recently so couldn't he stick around? On pilgrimage in the Holy Land, in a small church which has a marbleized footprint on the ground commemorating the last step of Jesus as he was lifted into the sky, I was still confounded.